Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-04-11
CAROLINA's METROPOLIS.
The Sensations of the Day in Our
Ncighbor by the sea.


pie OF this ancient metropolis have within
the past six months developed a spirit of
combativeness which is difficult to &c.
count for on any other hypothesis than
renewal In the present OF the pugnacity
OF the preceding generRtion-a pugnacitv
which was characterized in 1S60-61 by the
erection OF liberty poles, the birth Of the
Palmetto coekade, and which finally led
TO the BON mbardment of Fort Sumter and
the terrible train or consequences that fol-
lowed in its wake. 1t would naturally be
supposed that the earthquake would have
shaken them down TO peace basis,
but, on the contrary, that event
seems TO have had an opposite effect and
to have stirred up such differences of
opinion as promise TO end in war of
words, only to be equaled by the war OF
blood and carnage that has now been
most happily abandoned. 1t may be men
toned as q tact that ever since the earth.
quake the city has been, metaphoricaIIy
speaking, continuously engaged in war
Of words. 1t started with the relief fund.
There were gruin Dlers who protested
against the distribution OF ratlons to the
negroes. Then there were GROWERS who
were dissatisfied at the apportionment of
the fund among the sufferers, although it
is undeniable that the committee did its
work admirably well. 1t is known fact
that man who is classed Al in the mer-
oantile agencies, and who is a memb OF
one OF the most prosperous firms, received
$1,000, 80 the story goes, for repairing his
building, and that the man owns a dozen
houses or more.
WANTED OTHER SITES.
1t is rumored that he obtained the
money for the reason that his residence
w a q a n Of
was not mortgaged. Then when the
public building act passed Congress,
although 1t was known that the object of
the bill was to enable the CITY to sell the
police station for enough money to enable
IL to rebuild some OF its destroyed build
ings, and that the site was certainly the
most eligible in the Oily, there were
grumblers who wanted other sites. Next
came a great war of words on the rebuild
ing OF the aims house. A proposition was
deliberately made in Council to purchase
the Mills House, one OF the largest and
handsomest buildings in the city Tor
$4,000, and convert 1t into an aims
house, situated in the most fashionable
thOroughtare in the city. This time there
was a howl which went out TO Fort
Sumter and up to SummerVille, and the
Mills House proposition was hastily
abandoned, leaving the location OF the
aims house still an unsettled question.
Then the City Hospital, nee the sugar
house, was torn down and 1t was pro-
posed to re-erect on it's site, which, by the
way, is an admirable one, a modern hos
pital. This provoked an angry discussion
and site was selected in the northwest
ern part of the city near the river banks.
This, too, brought out dozen or more in
dignant protests, and the hospital ques-
tion too remains a puzzle. Council
next turned its attention to consolIda-
tion of the fire department. For weeks
experiments were made which proved
that an engine could reach any quarter
of the city from tIe little park at the cor
ner of Wentworth and Meeting streets
before steam could be raised. the lot be-
longs to the city, and the old engine
houses now scattered could have been
sold for enough to build handsome and
ornamental central station. Another
windy war ensued and nothing has as yet
been done.
THE NEW POLICE STATION.
At present all hands are engaged In a
war over the location Of the new police
station. The Legislature at its last ses-
sion gave the city an eligible lot near the
Citadel. Its position Is central, and the
city proposed TO put up handsome build
Ing with Architectural features similar to
the pile OF buildings which constitute the
State Military Academy. The columns
Of the News aud Courier have been filled
this week with Indignant protests and re-
plies on this subject.
The postmastership came very near
producing bl0Odshed. Before the de-
ceased postmaster had been buried there
were twenty or thirty candidates in the
field. Congressman DIbnle, who cham
piODed Mr.. A. ii. Mowry in tue tight tor
the Cellectorship year or 30 ago, and
who was supposed to carry the appoint
mentin his official vest pocket, came down
TO Charleston after the funeral lust to
look into the situation and get the views
Of all parties. A statement (seml-ofiiciaD
was at once published that Mr.. MOWrY
was not candidate Tor the place, and so
his name was not entered by the book
makers. Having looked into the situa-
Dibble went OF TO Washington, and
almost before his departure was known
the news of Mr.. NoWry's appointment was
flashed across the wires. This produced n
howl, the echoes OF which have not yet died
out. Mr.. Mowry will probably make a good
postmaster. He is "oue OF the boys" so
to speak, and his appointment, it Is taken
for granted, means general sweep
among the subOrdlnates in the building.
The present method OF conducting busi-
ness Is generally conceded to be unsatis-
factory TO the business public, and this ls
attributed 10 the fact tnat the Institution
has been made kind Of hospital for I'M
pecunlous pets and favorites. II MIR.
MOwry will use a broom and reOrganize
the internal economy Of his office, the
public will be pretty sure to forget al
the unpleasant Things that have been SAID
about him.
The absorbing topic Of quarrel to-day
is the quarantine question, when Is n
proposition TO open the port in summer to
such vessels from infected latitudes as do
not come from infected ports. The qUes-
ton will be settled by the State Board Of